Cuttings confining means for adjustable boring type mining machines



March 13, 1962 N. E. EVANS ET AL 3,025,042

CUTTINGS coNFINING MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLE BORING TYPE MINING MACHINES Filed June 27, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 N I S \i A t, n 4Q m X SQ o m N u M I a @Q N i N n I n n n l u d S4 m U A N u n o N N i I Av S l r I `n l l N A l 68 a e M t 7 Nr l N -l-l l IQ N l lll |||||ll|l||// llllllll Il" N" QN- QI I N (n i- \N\ N l" 'l N u I N l m l 9J a E f Q QS i 7 n "N1 n J S51 l Q Q C) N D N A I f' 0 I I A S we N S m N g: D m

S L i S 0 A Q A l @i e A S' a c Iig/ENTOR.

/Vola/z E ffl/z5 NS 395m!!! u( H/fzsgr N. E. EVANS ET AL 3,025,042 CONFINING MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLE ING TYPE MINING MACHINES March 13, 1962 CUTTINGS BOR Fled'June 27, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VEN TOR. [an E, fra/25 l J. /L/[/z s ky March 13, 1962 N. E. EVANS ET AL 3,025,042

CUTTINGS CONFINING MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLE BORING TYPE MINING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 27, 1960 March i3, 1962 N E EVANS x-:T AL 3,025,042

CUTTINGS CoNFI'NING MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLE BORING TYPE MINING MACHINES Filed June 27, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 f 5gg@ VVENTOR. /i/o/a/z f. Eva/z5 17241 J. #Zins/2y 4 @W @mail United States Patent Oiilice 3,025,042 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 3,025,042 CUTTING?) CNFIINENG MEANS FR ADJUST- ABLE BRING TYPE MINING MACHEJES Nolan E. Evans, Chicago, and Emil J. Hlinsiry, La

Grange Park, ill., assignors to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, lill., a corporation of Illinois Filed .Iune 27, 196i), Ser. No. 39,157 4 Claims. (Cl. 262-9) This invention relates to boring type mining machines of the vertically adjustable type, and more particularly relates to an improved cuttings confining means for such machines, confining the cuttings to be progressed by the boring heads to the conveyor of the mining machine.

A principal object of the present invention is -to improve upon the cuttings confining means cooperating with the boring heads of continuous mining machines, by providing a novel form `of closure means cooperating with the mining heads to close the gaps between the mining heads and cuttings confining means upon relative vertical adjustment of the cuttings confining means with respect to the boring heads, and to therefore more efficiently deflect the cuttings onto the conveyor of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to improve upon continuous mining machines of the vertically adjustable type having cuttings confining means in the form of pusher plates cooperating with the boring heads, fto progress the mined material to the conveyor of the machine as the machine is advanced `during the boring operation, by providing a simplied form of closure plate means cooperating with the pusher plates and having camming engagement with the boring heads to maintain the gaps between the boring heads and pusher plates closed upon relative vertical adjustment of the boring heads with respect to the pusher plates.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specication proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a front end view of a boring type mining machine constructed in accordance `with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front end view of a portion of the continuous mining machine shown in FiGURE l, with the boring head removed and with certain parts of the drive for the boring head shown in vertical section and certain other parts broken away, and showing the boring head in a fully extended position with respect to its associated pusher plate;

FIGURE 3 is a view somewhat similar to FIGURE 2, but drawn to a reduced scale and showing the boring head in a partially retracted position with respect to its associated pusher plate;

FiGURE 4 is a View somewhat similar to FIGURE 3, drawn to substantially the same scale as FIGURE 3 and showing the boring head in a fully retracted position with respect to its associated pusher plate;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 5 5 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FGURE 2, and showing certain details of the guiding connection between the pusher plate and its associated closure plate.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, `16 generally designates a mining machine of the boring type having a transversely extending frame or gear case 11, supported in advance of the main frame Vof the machine (not shown) for vertical adjustment with respect to the ground. The gear case 11 has a central throat portion 12 providing a passageway for an inclined elevating `conveyor 13 for picking up the mined material and transporting it `beyond the rear end of the machine for loading onto shuttle cars, conveyors or like material transporting devices. The gear case 11 has spaced hubs 15 projecting forwardly therefrom on opposite sides of the throat 12 and the elevating conveyor 13, and forming bearing supports for shafts 16 supporting and rotatably driving spaced rotatable boring heads 17.

The boring heads 17 are shown in FIGURE 1 as cutting intersecting paths out of phase relation with respect to each other. Each boring head 17 comprises an arm 1S having radially adjustable arms 19, 19 telescopically mounted in opposite ends thereof for adjustable movement toward and from the axis of rotation of the boring head, to accommodate the machine to cut in seams of varying thicknesses. As herein shown, the arm 18 has annularly arranged cutters 20, arranged to cut an annular pilot hole coaxial with the axis of rotation of the boring head, and has outwardly spaced cutters 21, 21 projecting forwardly therefrom adjacent the outer ends thereof for cutting an annular kerf spaced outwardly of the pilot cutters 2t). ri`he arm 18 also has an angularly extending arm 22 projecting angular from each end thereof and having circumferentially spaced cutters 23 projecting forwardly therefrom for cutting an annular kerf spaced outwardly of the kerf cut by the cutters 21.

The radially adjustable arms 19 have forwardly projecting circumferentially spaced cutters 2S for cutting a peripheral annular kerf along the top and `bottom of the coal seam.

An upper cutter bar 26 extends between the boring heads 17, adjacent the upper limits of the paths` of travel thereof, for cutting out the depending cusps of unmined coal left between the boring heads 17. The upper cutter bar 26 is mounted on the gear case 11 for vertical adjustment relative thereto, by means of hydraulic jacks 27, in a manner well known to those skilled in the tart, so not herein shown or described further. A lower cutter bar 29 is mounted to cut along the mine floor between and beyond the paths of travel of the boring heads 17, to cut the upstanding cusps extending upwardly from the mine floor between the boring heads 17, and to trim the floor along opposite sides of `the annular cutting paths olf the boring heads. The lower cutter bar 29 is mounted on the gear case 11 to depend therefrom, by means of a pair of laterally spaced fiuid pressure jacks 31 supporting a transverse frame member 32 supporting the cutter bar 29 to extend along its lower end portion.

A trimmer cutter chain 33 having cutter bits 35, is guided for movement along the upper and lower cutter bars 26 and 29 and is trained about corner sprockets 36 at opposite ends of the upper cutter bar 26, under a tension idler 37, sewing to take up tension on the trimmer chain 33 upon vertical adjustment of the cutter bars 26 and 29 toward and from each other. From the tension idler 37 the trimmer chain 33 is trained about a drive sprocket 39, to `and about lower corner sprockets 40, 40 supported to extend beyond opposite ends of the lower cutter bar 29. The trimmer `chain then extends angularly inwardly and upwardly from the corner sprocket 40, shown in FIGURE l as being the left hand corner sprocket, to and `around an idler sprocket 38, shown as being in horizontal alignment with, but spaced laterally from the drive sprocket 39. From thence, the trimmer chain is trained about the `left hand upper corner sprocket 36 to the cutter bar 26, guiding said trimmer chain for horizontal movement therealong.

A cuttings confining means is provided to confine the mined coal to flow toward the throat 12 and conveyor 13 to be picked up by said conveyor and to form a barrier in advance of the main frame of the machine behind the mining head 17 and the cutter bars 26 and 29 `and trimmer chain trained thereabout. The cuttings `coniining means is herein shown as including generally ver-tically extending pusher plates 41, extending vertically along opposite sides of the conveyor 13 and mounted on a forward face 43 of the transverse frame member 32 and extending vertically therefrom. The pusher plates 41 are shown `as having inwardly inclined inner wall portions 44 converging toward the conveyor 13 and connected together at their lower ends, by an inclined apron 45, extending across the front of the conveyor 13 and inclined upwardly to effect the discharge of material onto said `conveyor from the forward end portion of the cutter bar 29 as shown in FIGURE l. The cuttings coniining means also includes wing plates 46 formed to con-form generally to the cuts made by the boring heads 16 and pivotally mounted on shafts 47 for the sprockets 40, for free pivotal movement about said shafts in a vertical direction.

The pusher plates 41 each have a slot 49 extending vertically therealong and opening to the upper side thereof. The slots 49 are of suiiicient width to receive the shafts 16 upon movement of the lower cutter bar 29 and pusher plates 41 toward the gear case 11, to accommodate free adjustable movement of said lower cutter bar and pusher plates wi-th respect to the shafts 16.

The gaps between the pusher plates 41 and shafts 16 are maintained closed by pivoted closure plates 50 pivotally mounted on the pusher plates 41 and having camming engagement with the shafts 16.

As shown in FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 5, the closure plate 50 is pivotally mounted on its associated pusher plate 41, adjacent the upper end of said pusher plate, on a pivot pin 51p. The pivotal connection of the closure plate Sit with the pusher plate 41 is eccentric o-f the center of gravity of said closure plate, with the major part of said ,closure plate beneath the pivot pin 51, to accommodate downward movement of said closure plate by gravity. The closure plate 50 is vof a generally fan-like shape and extends over the slotv49 and has an arcuate edge 53 on the side thereof oppsite the pivot pin 51, guided in la retainer gib 55 extending over said closure plate, and extending along an arcuate strip 56 conforming to the `arcuate edge 53 of said closure plate and spaced adjacent the upper end portion of the pusher plate 41, to strip loose or gummy material from said pusher plate,

The pusher plate 50 also has an inner knife edge 57 extending beneath the pivot pin 51 for stripping loose or gummy material from the pusher plate 41 as said pusher plate moves downwardly during vertical adjus-table move- -ment of the cutter bar 29 toward the shafts 16.

The closure plate S also has an arcuate recessed portion 59 conforming generally to the periphery of the shaft 16 and having a camming arm portion 60 extending upwardly therefrom having a camming face 61, forming a continuation of the arcuate surface of the recessed p-ortion 59. The camming arm portion 60 is engaged with the shaft 16 by gravity and extends along a retainer ring 63 secured to and extending inwardly of a guide shoe 64. The guide shoe 64 serves as a guide for the cutter chain 33, while the retainer ring 63 prevents slop in the closure plate 50.

It may be seen with reference to FIGURES 2, 3 `and 4, the as the cutter bar 29 and pusher plates 41 move toward the boring head shafts 16 to the extreme retracted position shown in FIGURE 4, the camming surface 61 of the camming arm 60 will rather abruptly cam the closure plate 50 in a clockwise direction and move the recessed portion 59 to extend along the outer surface of the shaft 16, as shown in FIGURE 3. During continued movement of the cutter bar 29 toward the shaft 16, the closure plate 50 will be moved in `a counterclockwise direction by engagement of the shaft 16 with the recessed portion 59 until the shaft 16 is in the extreme lower end u of the upwardly opening slot 49, at which time the eccentric weight of the pusher plate 15 will tend to move the recessed portion 59 away from the shaft 16 and maintain the camming surface 61 in engagement with said shaft.

Upon extensible movement of the cutter bar 29 with respect to the shafts 16, the camming surface 61 of the closure plate 50 will cam said closure plate in a clockwise direction bringing said closure plate to move over the recess or slot 49 during lowering movement of the cutter bar 29 and maintain said slot closed for substantially the length thereof during adjustment of the cutter bar 29 into its extreme position of lower adjustment.

t may be seen from the foregoing that a simplified means has been provided accommodating a full range of vertical adjustment of the lower cutter bar with respect to the gear case 11, supporting said cutter bar and maintaining the upwardly opening slots 49 in the pusher plates sufficiently closed to prevent the passage of mined material through the upwardly opening slots 41 over the entire range of vertical adjustment of the lower cutter bar with respect to the gear case 11 and thereby confining the mined material to flow inwardly toward the throat 12 and conveyor 13 and preventing the accumulation of mined material to the rear of the pusher plates, with the resultant impeding of the advance of the machine to effect a boring operation.

While We have herein shown and described one form of our invention, it should be understood that various changes and modifications of the invention may be attained, without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the invention, as defined by the claims appended hereto.

We claim as our invention:

1. A continuous mining machine of the boring type comprising a frame extending across the front of the machine, an inclined elevating conveyor having a receiving end adjacent the ground in advance of said frame, boring head supports projecting forwardly of said frame on each side of said conveyor, boring heads rotatably mounted on said supports for cutting contiguous bores in advance of the machine and for progressing the cuttings toward said conveyor, a lower trimmer bar extending transversely of said frame from a position in advance thereof and mounted on said frame for vertical adjustment relative thereto, upright pusher plates mounted on said lower trimmer bar and extending upwardly along opposite sides of said conveyor and cooperating with said boring heads to guide the mined material to said conveyor, each pusher plate having an upwardly opening slot therein for receiving an associated forwardly projecting support, and accommodating adjustment of said lower trimmer bar into close proximity to said supports, closure plate means pivotally mounted on said pusher plates eccentric of their centers and extending over said slots, and camming arms extending from said closure plate means into engagement with said supports and retaining said closure plate means to extend over said slots when said trimmer bar is in a lowermost position of adjustment with respect to said frame and controlling movement. of said closure plate means to follow said supports upon vertical adjustment of said lower trimmer bar and pusher plates toward said supports, to maintain said slots closed upon relative vertical adjustment of said trimmer bar with respect to said frame.

2. A continuous mining machine of the boring type comprising a frame extending across the front of the machine, an inclined elevating conveyor having a receiving end adjacent the ground in advance of said frame, boring head supports projecting forwardly of said frame on each side of said conveyor, boring heads rotatably mounted on said supports for cutting contiguous bores in advance of the machine and for progressing the cuttings toward said conveyor, a lower trimmer bar extending transversely of said frame from a position in advance thereof and mounted on said frame for vertical adjustment relative thereto, upright pusher pltaes mounted on said lower trimmer bar and extending upwardly along opposite sides of said conveyor and cooperating with said boring heads to guide the mined material to said conveyor, each pusher plate having an upwardly opening slot therein for receiving an associated forwardly projecting support and accommodating adjustment of said lower trimmer bar into close proximity to said supports, closure plate means pivotally mounted on said pusher plates eccentric of their centers and extending over said slots, said closure plate means having recessed portions generally conforming to said supports and in alignment therewith and each having a camming arm having a camming surface thereon forming a continuation of the recessed portion thereof and having camming engagement with the associated support, to maintain said closure plate means to extend across said slots when said trimmer bar is in a lower position of adjustment with respect to said supports, and said camming arm moving said closure plate means toward said supports and controlling movement of said closure plate means with said supports to recess said supports in said recessed portions of said closure plate means upon vertical adjustable movement of said trimmer bar and pusher plates toward said supports.

3. A continuous mining machine of the boring type comprising a frame extending across the front `of the machine, an inclined elevating conveyor having a receiving end adjacent the ground in advance of said frame, boring head supports projecting forwardly of said frame on each side of said conveyor, boring heads rotatably mounted on said supports for cutting contiguous bores in advance of the machine and for progressing the cuttings toward said conveyor, a lower trimmer bar extending transversely of said frame from a position in advance thereof and mounted on said frame for vertical adjustment relative thereto, upright pusher plates mounted on said lower trimmer bar and extending upwardly along opposite sides of said conveyor and cooperating with said boring heads to guide the mined material to said Conveyor, each pusher plate having an upwardly opening slot therein for receiving an associated forwardly projecting support and accommodating adjustment of said lower trimmer bar into close proximity to said supports, closure plate means pivotally mounted on said pusher plates eccentric of the centers of said closure plate means and extending over said slots, camming arms extending from said closure plate means into engagement with said supports and retaining said pusher plate means to extend over said slots when said trimmer bar is in a lowermost position of adjustment with respect to said frame and controlling movement of said closure plate means to follow said supports upon vertical adjustment of said lower trimmer bar and pusher plates with respect to said supports and thereby maintaining said closure plate means to extend across said slots when said trimmer bar is in a lower position of adjustment with respect to said supports, and retainer means for said closure plate means extending partially over the edge thereof and retaining said closure plate means from outward movement with respect to said pusher plates.

4. A continuous mining machine of the boring type comprising a frame extending across the front of the machine, an inclined elevating conveyor having a receiving end adjacent the ground in advance of said frame, boring head supports projecting forwardly of said frame on each side of said conveyor, boring heads rotatably mounted on said supports for cutting contiguous bores in advance of the machine and for progressing the cuttings toward said conveyor, a lower trimmer bar extending transversely of said frame from a position in advance thereof and mounted on said frame for vertical adjust` ment relative thereto, upright pusher plates mounted on said lower trimmer 'bar and extending upwardly along opposite sides of said conveyor and cooperating with said boring heads to guide the mined material to said conveyor, each pusher plate having an upwardly opening slot therein for receiving an associated forwardly projecting support `and accommodating adjustment of said lower trimmer bar into close proximity to said supports, and closure plate means pivotally mounted on said pusher plates adjacent the upper ends thereof and eccentric of the centers of said closure plate means and extending across said slots, said closure plate means each having a recessed portion generally conforming to an associated support and in alignment therewith and having a camrning arm having a camming surface thereto forming a continuation of the associated recessed portion and having camming engagement with the associated support, to maintain said closure plate means to extend across said slots when said trimmer bar is in a lower position of adjustment with respect to said supports and to control movement of said closure plate means to recess said supports in said slots upon vertical adjustable movement of said trimmer bar and pusher plates toward said supports, said closure plate means each having a knife edge movable along said pusher plates and progressing material toward the inner sides of said pusher plates for maintaining said pusher plates clean in the path of travel of said closure plate means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,868,529 Lundquist Ian. 13, 1959 

